37th  Annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers

WHEREAS, the threat of emergencies and disasters from natural, technology-based and human-induced events is more evident today and has been experienced in many of the jurisdictions within the New England states and the Eastern Canadian provinces and is highlighted in the annual reports provided to the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers; and

WHEREAS, enhanced cooperation and collaboration is particularly important during major events that may threaten the reliability of the regional energy systems that serve the states and provinces; and

WHEREAS, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP) adopted an International Emergency Management Assistance Compact (IEMAC) in 1998 which provides for mutual aid assistance among signatory states and provinces for the management of an emergency or a disaster that is affecting member States or Provinces; and

WHEREAS, the International Emergency Management Group (IEMG) was established, through the International Emergency Management Assistance Memorandum of Understanding (IEMAMOU) in July 2000, to develop and maintain mutual aid arrangements and provide emergency management leadership in mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities for the member States and Provinces; and

WHEREAS, IEMG members within their own jurisdictions strive to continually conduct hazard identification and risk assessments, maintain emergency management plans, validate these plans through emergency exercises or response to/recovery from real emergencies and disasters; and

WHEREAS, IEMG members share best practices, adhere to a common incident management system and have available emergency management resources, both human and non-human, to be shared and deployed among IEMG partners; and

WHEREAS, the request for or provision of mutual aid assistance involves complex logistical, legal, financial and administrative components which are amplified because of the US-Canada border; and

WHEREAS, the IEMG has developed and exercised an Operations Manual and within this Operations Manual has defined a process to allow States and Provinces to request and provide mutual aid assistance.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers reaffirm their commitment to provide assistance as necessary to other IEMG member jurisdictions that would require intergovernmental cooperation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers recognizes the importance of the work of the International Emergency Management Group (IEMG) and endorses its continuation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the International Emergency Management Group (IEMG) will produce a list of the constraints that could hinder cross-border mutual aid assistance between States and Provinces and will make recommendations on how to address these constraints and thus enhance international mutual aid assistance when needed; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the NEG/ECP will ensure the continued use of the existing compact and its complementary mechanisms to strengthen partnerships and exchange of information to achieve the strategic implementation of emergency management systems and the activation of IEMG resources to emergencies or disasters.

Adopted at the 37th Annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers, La Malbaie, Québec, September 9, 2013.